For the third straight season, Texas Tech Baseball is leading the way in preseason honors as a conference-leading four Red Raiders were tabbed for preseason honors.
Dylan Neuse became the second Red Raider in three years to earn the honor of Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, joining Josh Jung in the 2019 season who was also tabbed with the distinction. Neuse begins his third campaign in the scarlet and black following a sophomore season with a team lead tying 26 multi-hit games. He also pounded .355 in 2020 and led the Big 12 in runs with 22 while also leading the Red Raiders with 12 stolen bases.
This honor is in addition to two Preseason All-America selections coming from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper (3rd Team) and D1Baseball.com (2nd Team).
Additionally, three more Red Raiders have been placed on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team.
Micah Dallas earned his second straight selection after his 2020 campaign saw him post a 1-0 record with 3 saves on the way to a 0.57 ERA with 23 strikeouts to only 1 walk in 15.2 innings pitched. Dallas spent the season coming out the bullpen but was most likely headed back to the starting rotation for the beginning of conference play. For his efforts, Dallas earned Second Team All-America honors. This year, Dallas was named a Preseason Second Team All-American by Perfect Game and notched another of the same from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
Nate Rombach burst onto the college baseball scene in 2020 as a big power hitting freshman. He led the Big 12 in RBI and home runs. Rombach hit a .308 and boasted a team-leading slugging percentage of .677. For his work, Rombach received a Freshman All-American selection.
Cal Conley also burst onto the scene as the Red Raiders’ starting shortstop in 2020 after redshirting the 2019 campaign. Conley hit .371 and was second in the Big 12 in RBI and third in doubles. Conley was tabbed with Third Team All America honors and also received a nod as a Freshman All-American. Conley also received a 2021 preseason honor from Collegiate Baseball Newspaper as a member of their Preseason Third Team All-America class.
To round out the awards, the Big 12 Coaches also voted Texas Tech the preseason favorite to win the conference. Coaches cannot vote for their own teams to win, just as they can’t vote for their own players for the awards above. Tech garnered 63 points in the voting, which means they received 7 of 9 votes. That certainly begs the question: Who was the coach that didn’t vote for the Red Raiders?
Tech opens the season Feb. 19-21 at the inaugural State Farm College Baseball Showdown at the Rangers’ Globe Life Field in Arlington. Tickets are still available HERE for single game tickets, although weekend passes are currently sold out.
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